Finger Picking Exercises
Finger picking (also known as freestyle) is a method of playing a guitar using one’s finger tips or nails to pluck the strings, as opposed to doing it with a pick, or simply strumming the strings. Since it involves striking notes by each finger individually, it permits guitarists to play several elements of music at the same time and allows solo artists to play multiple parts of an arrangement by themselves.
The basic technique was originally developed for playing folk music, blues and country/jazz on nylon string classical guitars by using the thumb to maintain a steady beat by alternating bass rhythms on the bottom three strings, while the other fingers pluck out the melody on the upper strings. However, a variety of other techniques have become popular for use on different types of instruments.
For instance Travis Picking is often used by musicians playing steel string acoustics guitars, and involves picking out “pre-set” patterns with the right hand while fingering standard chords with the left.